Over the last 10 years there has been a drastic increase in the rollout of electric vehicles. Driven by improvements in battery technology, infrastructure deployment, and overall cost reduction. In 2025 electrification efforts continue for passenger vehicles, and whilst challenges remain, there is a strong technology foundation and positive customer sentiment to support adoption. Now the focus in the industry turns to the heavy vehicle segments. Previously considered as too challenging to electrify, advancements in battery technology and megawatt charging capabilities now offers new possibilities. In 2024 DNV observed considerable progress in Heavy-duty truck charging infrastructure, with further advancement expected in 2025. 

Electric Heavy-Duty Trucks

Electrification of commercial vehicles has evolved in the last 5 years. Initially hydrogen or hybrid powertrains were viewed as the most viable solutions, however improvements in battery technology and affordability have seen battery electric models emerge as first preference for fleet operators.

Applications for Electrification

Heavy-duty trucks can loosely be categorised between regional haul and long-haul activities, see Figure 1. Regional haul typically covers less distance and will return to depot overnight, requiring smaller batteries and less demanding duty cycles. Long-haul covers greater distances, requiring increased battery capacity, and relies heavily on public charging infrastructure. As a result, long-haul is the focus for public truck charging initiatives, including the introduction of megawatt charging.

Electric Heavy-Duty Truck Offerings

In recent years, truck OEMs have accelerated the development of battery electric vehicles. Progressing from a regional haul focus to long haul capable battery electric vehicles (BEVs). At IAA Transportation 2024, OEMs such as Scania, Daimler Trucks and Volvo all unveiled their long-haul BEVs with battery capacity over 600kWh and ranges of more than 400km.  As shown in Figure 2.

As OEMs have introduced their first iteration of electric products, they are now looking to refresh them with greater range and megawatt charging capability. With testing and development underway.

Megawatt Charging Compatible Vehicles

OEMs  have made progress in testing vehicles with megawatt charging capabilities, and either have vehicles in the market which are Megawatt Charging System (MCS) compatible or are testing systems ready to deploy once the standard is finalised.

- Daimler Truck: Has successfully tested eActros trucks with MCS up to 1000kW [10]

- Iveco: Iveco trucks do not currently support MCS charging

- MAN: eTGX truck supports MCS up to 750kW and CCS up to 375kW

- Scania: Has tested MCS since 2023, offers trucks with MCS, which will be supported as standard is finalised [11]

- Volvo Trucks: Planning to introduce the FH Aero Electric with MCS and up to 600km range in 2025, with 780kWh battery pack [12] 

The Role of Megawatt Charging

Analysis of current heavy-vehicle manufacturers portfolios shows that for regional haul trucks, combined charging system (CCS) can top up the batteries from 20-80% in approximately 1 hour. Which is feasible within expected operating patterns. For long-haul trucks, the charging time then extends closer to 2 hours. This is not feasible for most long-haul schedules. Creating the requirement for a faster charging solution, such as the megawatt charging system (MCS).

Megawatt Charging Standard

The MCS standard, developed between CharIn and industry stakeholders, aims to support the charging of battery electric commercial vehicles and accelerate their adoption. The MCS standard is for charging up to 3.75MW, at a maximum of 1250V and 3000A. The standard also includes provisions for MCS to support.

Other key features of the megawatt charging standard are summarised below [13]:

1. Communications protocols – further development of ISO 15118 to support wider range of use cases, payment systems, energy management requirements and security considerations
2. Safety – given the higher power involved, high voltage safety and temperature control are critical
3. Thermal management – thermal management is important for both the charging hardware and vehicle hardware, including the cable / connector
4. Port locations – MCS specifies standard locations for charging ports on all vehicles, at hip height, on the left side of the vehicle, behind the most forward axle
5. Adapters – due to safety considerations, MCS does not support use of adapters

Operational Benefits

For the long-haul sector efficiency is crucial, with typical margins of 5% across the haulage industry [14] which means that any disruptions to operations could jeopardise profitability. Electrification presents a challenge to this delicate operation, and time lost to charging is impactful. This creates the requirement for megawatt charging, reducing charge times, and getting vehicles back on the road. EU working regulations mandate a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving, which provides an ideal window to use megawatt charging. For larger battery packs standard charging would extend beyond the break time and erode the electric vehicle business case for many operators.

Charging Hardware Readiness

As on the vehicle side, EV charging equipment manufacturers are in the process of testing and developing megawatt charging solutions. Kempower and EkoEnergetyka launched their solutions in 2024. While ABB, Alpitronic and Siemens will launch products in 2025. Systems are specifically designed for deployment in dedicated heavy duty charging bays, with chargers positioned to align with the recommended MCS charging socket position. Charging units are larger than typical CCS chargers due to the increased power and cooling requirements.All these companies are completing significant testing and pilot projects prior to launch. As a testament to the complexities involved in scaling up from high power charging to megawatt scale charging.

Next Steps for Deployment

The next step in deployment is finalisation of the MCS standard by CharIn, which is expected in 2025. To support this there are test events scheduled, such as Testival in Spain in April 2025 to test and validate a range of MCS controllers.This year we also expect further progress from vehicle and charging OEMs in testing and deploying their hardware and software, so that it is ready to deploy once the standard is finalised.In the last two years, DNV has already observed growth of the heavy-duty truck charging infrastructure across UK and Europe, with companies such as Milence leading the roll-out. It is expected that as MCS standard is finalised, these chargers will be deployed to sites alongside the existing HPC charging bays.This mixture of chargers will support the varying requirements of drivers, midday top up vs evening or overnight charge and support the management of power across the sites.

Beyond Trucking

Whilst the development of MCS standard is initially focused to the on-road heavy commercial vehicles. Megawatt charging has potential for additional use cases within maritime, off-highway, defence, and agriculture applications.

Challenges with Megawatt Charging Deployment

With the deployment of megawatt charging, DNV sees several challenges compared to the deployment of conventional EV charging infrastructure:

• Site energy capacity & management – Securing the grid upgrades required for these sites can be time consuming, complex and requires significant investment. Once installed managing the EV charging sessions against any power constraints will also be important. This may require deployment of battery storage assets to support peak loads.
• Thermal requirements & safety – Temperature is a major concern for megawatt charging, with charging and vehicle hardware equipped with upgraded components and cooling systems to manage the heat produced. As vehicles and chargers are used, it is important that cooling systems are well maintained to protect components and ensure optimum and safe charging.
• Battery degradation – While MCS offers convenient charging, it will also degrade the battery at the fastest rate. It is important that charging schedule is optimised to protect the life of the battery, given the long expected useful life and payback period for heavy-duty vehicles.
• Increased investment requirements – Megawatt charging infrastructure is investment intensive. Currently there are a limited number of stakeholders deploying chargers, to meet targets more market entrants are required, with additional incentives to encourage deployment.

How DNV can support

In the DNV Sustainable Transport team, we are driven by the vision to deliver a net-zero future across all modes of transportation. Recognising the complexity of the transition, we also work in the domains of EV charging, battery energy storage and renewables. Which together creates the E-mobility ecosystem required.The Sustainable Transport team is built on DNV's rich history in energy systems, risk advisory and project assurance. We have a range of experienced Engineers and Consultants from the automotive and transportation sectors who deliver a unique value proposition to our clients.In pursuit of our mission, we work with stakeholders across the e-mobility value chain. Which includes financial institutions, OEMs, asset owners and operators, governments and regulatory bodies, and start-ups. DNV has a global team working on sustainable transport across: UK and Ireland, Northern and Southern Europe, Americas, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.We are able to support complex challenges, whether it’s investment in fleets and EV charging, or providing technical advisory services to support deployment.

Contact us to learn more about our work in the EV charging domain, and stay tuned for our upcoming webinar on Megawatt charging.

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